New Kyosho Dnano Sponge Tires
 

Hi,

Does anyone have any idea what these tires are good for? I'm thinking about picking up a couple sets to try?

For the fronts kyosho only has 20 and 30 (hardness rating) and only 20 for the rear.

Any idea what surfaces would be best with these tires?

http://www.kyosho.com/jpn/products/rc/newparts.html

-Ray

RCP or HTU track, I guess we'll have to try them and see.

Foam tires are typically for carpet tracks.

i see...thanks for the reply guys....so HTU tracks only then? I haven't been to any HTU tracks.

Are they stickier than rubber? I was curious why they offer less compounds than rubber?

I went to Kyosho's Route 241 track last weekend, and their track is carpet.... there was a guy there running custom foam tires on his MR02 and his car was on rails.... the carpet on this track is the same as what's on the HTUSA tracks... I think it's Pytex carpet... I'm sure the dnano foams would have the same effect

nice :)

how was the track? Did you run your dnano? I hear they are having a race there soon?

How did rubber tires fare on the carpet versus the mini z with the foam?

Yea, that guy with the foam tires may be a guy named Bruce, he makes them and sells them.

-Ray

it was definitely Bruce...

the rubber tires worked (if you had the right compounds) but the foam tires hooked up So well... I don't know what combination he used (front/rear compounds) but I was driving the heck out of that car ad it did everything i wanted it to

and I think the big race is on the 19th... if so, I'll be there

Oh.. and the dNanos ran great with the stock rubber... but you might have to go with a softer front tire... the cars come stock with 50 front and 10 rear... I think 40 fronts may be ideal

Interesting info about these tires from the Kyosho Mini-Z/dnano development blog:

http://ameblo.jp/kyoshoblog-en/page-11.html#main

Excerpt from blog (note in a previous entry the guy says that these tires are expensive since they're all made by hand !

The suitable surface is of cource the dNaNo home circuit, but these sponge tires also show better grip than rubber tires on smooth concrete floors and wooden floors!!
However, the sponge tires are not very good on dusty surfacs, so before running clean the floor with a damp cloth.
These tires also show good grip on carpets but the tire wear might be fast because of the high grip.
Lastly, on urethane tracks, the car overturns due to the super high grip. So I recommend rubber tires.

ＤＮＴ004-20　Sponge tire(FA/FRA/20°/2pcs)
This tire fits FA and FRA size wheels.
This 20-deg type is good for FRA rear wheels.

ＤＮＴ004-30　Sponge tire(FA/FRA/30°/2pcs)
This tire also goes with FA and FRA size wheels.
This 30-deg type is good for front wheels.

ＤＮＴ005-20　Sponge tire(RA/20°/2pcs)
This tire is for RA size wheels.
Good for rear.

availability update re: Americas
 

Unofficially, I am letting you know that Kyosho America will not be importing these tires for resale as communicated by my sales rep. Kyosho America supplies Canada, United States, Mexico and South America with products.

This means that if you want them, you will need to look eastwards (Europe/Asia) for a supply.

from my experience with them, they're not very good and tear easily. the available compounds give very little grip on urethane surfaces (like RCP). i've tried them on both circuits at nanotrax and have no good feedback to report. on the other hand, the X-Power Foam Racing Wheels are great on the hard, smooth, urethane tiles on F2L but give an inconsistent feel on the softer surface on F1R. foam tends to lose its grip relatively quickly on high traffic circuits that alternate foam/rubber, the foam easily picks up tire wear residue. you can always use a WD-40 pen for grip assistance but it wears off after about 10-15 mins and can leave trails on light colored surfaces.

if you're interested in the XP Foam Racing Wheels, you can get those at our online shop, AtomicMods is our retailer in the USA, but they have yet to stock this item. get in touch with them if you'd like to see more X-Power products available in the states ;)